West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-07-14
HOW AMASA SNOW GOT ON
HIS FEET.

hls stove full of wood and red hot. His
Office wa, about rod from his house
and quite near the high wooden gate
leading into the village street. over the
door lead, "PrOthonotury and Attorney.
at-law. IL was "a huge, faded SIGN i'm
black letters; one could not go 10y Amasa
snow S office and not know of the bust
ness OF It's uccup MT The trouble
with the sign was il was not anuriup
enough. Squire Slaytou. down the
strcct with very small sign and over "a
grocery store, aud without a biz white
house, and family name and come b
tlon-Squirc Slaytou somehow got all
The business there wa, goiug on i'm East
ChcstcrUlc. AInasa Snow sat tilted back
IN ms wooden armchair, pulling his long
chm Beard, scratching the few gray hairs
IN his slopng gray head, and tying 10
cOnJurc up some new scheme by which
he could beat Slayton again. and defer the
foreclosure sale He had deferred il five
times ON one excuse and another: but
Slayton had him this time; there was no
help for it. The old place would have TO
be sold-thc old place where his boyhood
had been pao,cd until he went To college.
and Whc,c Ec had lived ever since. and
seen his six wi.ls grow up about him.
His SIX mpthcr.c-- girls lie reached
down and broke splinter off a bit of
pine-wood by the stove. and BEGAN to
chew bard ON IT, What would become
OF the girl~t EvCrv one "a beauty in his
eyes; every one worthy of marrying the
Governor of the State. How could he
tell them that the sale of their old home
could be postponed no longer that every
devise and trick, and every legal quibblc,
mad been tried and tried agaiut He d0rfJ
not tell the Girls He looked out
OF the window; il was raining An April
shower to be sure, with the prospect of
golden sunset later on, but making
everything outside under the tree, look
very muddy and dismal Ama~a Snow
ielt very much depressed. Fate appeared
to be against him
There were his law books-a couple OF
Thousand din9y calf volumes. not kent uu
to date the inheritance from the iudpc.
his father, but even the law books were
'chaltclcd, rs they said, +. C., mort.
gagged, quite beyond thciryaluc. Every.
thing he had, in fact. WIS mougaocd.
lie had come this wet April dav To th,
end OF things. Next week came the sale
lie felt like saying the dclugc. lie had
not enough money TO take him and hi.
family out West.
That was his pIan-to go West Hc
hardly felt his fifty years. lie felt youno
and energetic when he thought of the
West. By-thc-by, there was his brother
Ellsha-his brolherwho In his youth wa,
so Ike him. lie was Wcst-in Cali
fonia. He had not seen him for twcnt,
years. The last ne had heard from him
was request TO end on hundred dol
lars. That was five years ago. lie had
sent him fifty. and nothing had been
heard from Elisha since, except his name
endorsed across the back of the check
showing that he had received the money
no 1t was clear that Elisha could
never help him Elisha had caused hin
TO loose several thousand dollars once in
a. mine. Eli-ha's name was ALWAYS q
great bugbcarin his family since No.
Elisha could not be expected TO hclr
him. Stay! An idea Amasa Snow be-
gan to poke the red hot fire VIGOROUSLY
IL was % bleak Iaw dav. but the fin,
was hot enough ion that little office If LEFT
alone An idea Elisha should be mad,
70 help him 10 was last hone. but "A
fired him with enthusiasm. He reached
up into q dusty book case and cot down
"a file OF letters. lie was looking fol
Elisha's address.
Just then there came o tap at the onic,
door Amasa turned round. fB,
Georgep' he cried, nearly carried Of hi,
feet with astonishmcnt ITS Elisha
o'Vroprio pcrsoDp''
g. ~ have come home. said Elisha
meekly. 81 have come home q.
II